BLOG 8.30.12: JACQUES ELLUL: A PROPHETIC VOICE
The name of Jacques Ellul doesn’t get much press these days; so let me reintroduce it briefly. Jacques Ellul was a major sociological and theological voice in the 20th century, and his book: The Subversion of Christianity (Wm. B.Eerdmans, 1986) is a classic. Let me tease you with a quote in this Blog.
“At the end of the third century Christianity became fashionable. But this presupposed a movement of elucidation, of general response. In effect, theology, instead of being content to expound revelation, began to be interested in questions of all kinds and to do philosophy. Thus it wanted, for example, to show a correspondence between Socrates and St. Paul, etc. Discussing problems of the day was the price of success. Success was achieved, but there then came what seems to have been the inevitable and tragic reaction that whereas the good news had first been published for its own sake with no concern for success, now ineluctably success brought, as always, a desire for it from which Christians were not exempt. The only reproach that one can bring against them is that they were not aware of what was happening, namely, that society was inverting Christianity instead of being subverted by it.
“The soon acquired a taste for success. Not, of course, worldly success that brought benefices and honors. But since a growing number of men and women were joining them, why not attribute this success to the will of God, and why not feel summoned to profit by it? Had not Paul said: ‘Woe is me if I do not preach the gospel?’ Evangelism had at first been rigorous and scrupulous, but now the goal was numbers. It was no longer a question of one-by-one conversion, of house churches, but of large gatherings. Why resist the urge for mass evangelism? Why bother about the authenticity of the faith of the converts? Mass baptisms began to take place.
“During the third century the decisive change came. In the primitive church personal conversion brought entry and presupposed preparatory training. When the church became an affair of the masses, it became impossible to be sure of the authenticity of each convert. The process reversed itself. People entered the church first and then received the religious instruction that would guarantee the seriousness of their faith. … But success put the church on a slippery slope …” (p. 30).
Ellul has some searching critiques. He is a sociologist and a theologian. He is a layman. He is not afraid of controversy (he was a member of the French Underground in World War II). His other major works have to do with the technological society, and are gems in their own right. To read more, check out his: The Subversion of Christianity, still available from Amazon even this half century later. It gets better, but warning: it is not light reading, and it is very disturbing given the mindless passivity of so much of modern Christianity.
Peace!
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